My earphones are getting a bit battered at this stage and I'm interested in maybe getting a pair of overear headphones. Anyone got any recommendations for a decent pair that wont break the bank? Havent worn overear headphones since the days of using a shitty walkman

It'd be a pretty even mix of home and outdoor use. I've been using in ear earphones for as long as I can remember but briefly tried a pair of Sennheiser banded headphones a mate of mine used to have and was impressed by them so I've been thinking about taking the plunge and picking up something similar now that my old earphones are on their way out.

The ones ye've recommended so far look good. Must read a bit more into them.

I've been using Sennheiser HD280 Pro for about 5 years and apart from the foam which has been bitten off by a pitbull they still work and sound great. You can get them from $70 on eBay, they have them on Amazon but they're overpriced:

Beats headphones really are a case of the emperors new clothes, such over-inflated prices. Seem to be more of a fashion accessory. The amount of people with them though…Hard to believe there is a recession going on when people are shelling out €200 upwards for headphones. That said, they do sound great, and I really like these headphones that have the detachable cable, but you can get equally great sounding headphones for considerably less - you just wont appear as fashionable.

Personally always go for Sennheiser. Always sound good and have always found them much more durable than other brands I've used in the past. Have a pair of HD299s for out and about (in-ear phones seem to be predominantly those buds which I really hate so went back to over head type recently) - The only Issue have with them is they don't fold up so they are kinda awkward for portability but the sound of them is really good. Also have a pair of HD202s for home use which are great too.

Agree with the description of Beats - over priced for what they are. I got a pair of Sennheiser HD600s about 8 years ago for half price. The only problem when you get to a certain price point is that it makes sense to use a headphone amplifier. Obviously this makes no sense for listening to MP3s on a mobile phone.

The only real benefit Beats will give you is the build quality/durability but then it is no better than the equivalent DJ headphones from other manufacturers.

Really it depends what purpose you want them for e.g. is it purely home listening or for on the move. If it is on the move then open back headphones will be no good since you'll still hear outside noise (plus irritate other commuters). Open back are less tiresome on the ears as it allows the speakers more air to move which means your ears won't be pummeled by fast or bass heavy music.

I've seen market stalls selling knock off beats for 20 quid, you'd never tell the difference from a visual point anyway. I remember when the iPod first came out and the white in ears and cable where a sign screaming "rob me, I've an expensive piece of audio gear in my pocket". Beats scream the same thing.

I usually go with Sennheisers in ears. I'm not a fan of over the head earphones when I'm out cycling or walking around.

It makes perfect sense... that's why sound engineers always use in-ears to check on their mixes...

I have a pair of Panasonic RP-HTX7 cans which I bought to replace a really nice pair of Sony which got broken in a friendly tussle I got into with a moving car. They were really quite cheap but for the price they're great and one of the reasons is that they form a surprisingly deep acoustic chamber around the ear, almost 15mm I'd say.

Beats headphones really are a case of the emperors new clothes, such over-inflated prices. Seem to be more of a fashion accessory. The amount of people with them though…Hard to believe there is a recession going on when people are shelling out €200 upwards for headphones. That said, they do sound great, and I really like these headphones that have the detachable cable, but you can get equally great sounding headphones for considerably less - you just wont appear as fashionable.

Personally always go for Sennheiser. Always sound good and have always found them much more durable than other brands I've used in the past. Have a pair of HD299s for out and about (in-ear phones seem to be predominantly those buds which I really hate so went back to over head type recently) - The only Issue have with them is they don't fold up so they are kinda awkward for portability but the sound of them is really good. Also have a pair of HD202s for home use which are great too.

half of those with beats are the £20 knockoffs. Plus any part of the beats is replaceable im lead to believe which made me buy them also

Ah yeah i see your point now. For the ease of comfort and transportation i would prefer IEM's as well. But in general the sound quality of some proper headphones will always outweigh the sound of IEM's, for me at least.

There's some supra-aural headphones that are being released these days that are not half that bad. Annoying thing with those things is that they can press to hard against your ears.

You had a good point there with the headphone amps as well. I recently had to inform a mate of mine that decent Sennheiser headphones wouldn't be your best bet for mp3 player/phone use.